Had to try a few new things on my work trip. Spices 3 has such an extensive menu that it will take me another 10 more trips before I get to taste everything in the menu. And the food is delicious! As many reviewers observed, this is a CASH ONLY restaurant. However, you can order take out online and pay by card. That is what I did. The cubed deep fried tofu snowed with crunchy bits of garlic, dried red chilli, and jalapeño... this dish is what will tempt me into the vegetarian world. This combination works really well! The other dish is not everyone's cup of tea but one of my favorite: pork intestine sautéd with basil and garlic. Slightly crunchy, the intestine was clean tasting with the basil and garlic rounding up one glorious mouthful at a time! Portions are generous, and I have enough for a second round tomorrow. Thank goodness for a microwave in the hotel room! read more

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Not sure if it's a culture thing but the lady the answered and helped me today was rude AF. I called in my order and when I was done, she didn't say anything, just hung up. Called again to make sure she got it and she said yeah yeah yeah and hung up again. I called back and asked how long she said 15 mins and hung up again. I should have took that as my sign to go somewhere else. But I placed my order and I gave them a try. I had the Spicy Chicken Fried Rice but there was little to no Chicken in my fired rice. When I picked the order up, it's cash only, so I gave her a $20 and she slammed my change on the counter and said nothing else. I've never order in China Town before so maybe I'm just use to people being courteous and appreciate my business. Definitely not worth $15 for not very good fried rice and rude service. Never going back and do not recommend. read more

Spices 3 - Spicy "Chicken" Fried Rice - Szechuan Near Me - Oakland, California

This is my go to comfort meal, I always grab some takeout from here anytime I come back from a trip. All of their spicy dishes and veggies are amazing. I particularly love their spicy chicken which has a great mala/numbing spice and theme spicy chow mein. I always have to get a side of rice and a garlicky veggie to cut the spicy and it's makes the perfect fest. I've never eaten at the restaurant but their pick up and delivery are always fast and the quality of the food is always great. read more

Spices 3 is a keystone restaurant in the Oakland Chinatown ecosystem that everyone should try once. While the Bay Area's boasts a plentiful array of spicy Chinese regional fare such as Szechuan, Hunan, Jiangxi cuisine, I think that Spices 3 does separate itself in terms of quality & value from the few times I have been there. During COVID times, I ordered here a few times and all of the things I tried were fantastic and flavorful. The combination fried rice was a great base for anything that you may order to pair along side it, such as the Mongolian Beef, Salt & Pepper Tofu, and the Salt & Pepper Fish Filet, which all have strong salty and umami-ness to them. Most recently, I have ordered take out for a potluck and the standout dish that got a ton of compliments from my friends was the hot and sour soup, which was a great price for how many people it fed. One of the better hot and sour soups that I have personally tasted and is definitely on my go-to list whenever the next rainy day, hot soup season calls for it. read more

Spices 3 was great. I wouldn't say anything was particularly spicy. But everything I tried was good. Definitely one of my new favorite spots in Oakland China town. Explosive wings were good. Green beans were great. read more

They have two restaurants across the street from each other, one for noodles and one for your regular Chinese dishes. We ordered wontons with spicy chili oil, mapo tofu, and dry pot beef. If you like the numbing, mala spice like me, it's there! It's so hard to find a restaurant that cooks mapo tofu that's actually mala, but this place definitely did it right!! Very big portions and very flavorful. Keep in mind this place is CASH ONLY! read more

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I ordered the spicy fried chicken, green beans, and chow mein, and honestly, it was mediocre at best. The chicken was especially disappointing -- no regular wings, no flats, no drums -- just strange nugget-like pieces that didn't even look like real chicken. Definitely not what I expected. On top of that, they overcharged for what felt like a very underwhelming meal. The food has been overhyped, and I walked away highly disappointed. read more

Spices 3 - Chicken nuggets instead of wings. Underwhelming! - Szechuan Near Me - Oakland, California

Seafood casserole number 50, sizzling, tofu and eggplant. The best, cant beat this wonderful marriage of flavors. read more

Spices 3 - Number 50 seafood casserole, sizzling, tofu, and the eggplants so delicious. - Szechuan Near Me - Oakland, California

Really nice vibe and excellent service. This one of my favorite spots for Chinese food.

Recently visited Spices 3 and dined in during lunch on a weekday. I must say that this place has quite an extensive menu from noodles to veggies to meats and everything in between. I opted to share stir fry green beans and veggies/pork stir fry noodles. Both items were definitely cooked in high heat woks as I can taste some of the "crunch" in the veggies. However, both dishes were way oilier than I would've liked. Portion sizes were just ok. Both dishes including tax and tip came out to be around $33. I wished they had a lunch special menu. Inside was very spacious and not sure about the usual foot traffic outside weekday lunch hours, but the ambiance allowed for nice conversations without having to yell across the table. Grateful that they survived the pandemic and hope that they continue to sustain. #37/2023 read more

Spices 3 - Green Dry Braised String Beans - Szechuan Near Me - Oakland, California

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I'm hooked! What a treat! Cash only. Good by yourself, better with friends so you can try a bit of everthing. The heat creeps and is real. Get extra napkings and a Tsingtao, absolutely no water. Hands down the best wings I've had. So addicting. Eggplant and green bean dishes cooked perfectly. You will be back again and again and again. See pics and reviews. read more

Spices 3 - Chicken Wing W/Explosive Chili Pepper. Amazing creeping heat. Addicting. - Szechuan Near Me - Oakland, California

Most important thing to know about Spices 3 is that it's cash only. The second-most important thing to know is that it is Hella good (and spicy!) As you can probably tell from the photos and menu items, Spices 3 is all about the chilies, and they're not playing. This is not for the faint of heart. This will burn going in and going out, if you know what I mean. Some friends and I shared a few dishes and they were all good, but standouts were the Fish Fillet with Explosive Chili Pepper (yes, I did eat some of the chilies), Lamb with Cumin Spice, and the Numbing Spicy Cucumber. The cucumber might have been my favorite item, and don't be fooled by the one-chili rating on the menu, it is pretty spicy! We also had a Shanghai-Style stir-fried noodle and Eggplant with Garlic Sauce. Both were good and not at all spicy, so there options for those who are spice averse. We were there early afternoon (after lunch hours) on a Sunday so it was pretty empty. It was quiet and cozy with large wooden tables and benches, and the servers were responsive. I'd love to go back and challenge myself by trying more of the three-chili rated dishes to see if I can take the heat. They also seem to have a pretty long list of spicy tofu dishes. So if you're looking to add some spice to your life, check out Spices 3. read more

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This restaurant raised the bar for what I consider to be good Chinese food, especially southern (Szechuan) Chinese food. There's a lot of dishes I didn't know about before, but if you pick anything spicy on the menu you're gonna be happy. Highlights for me are the tofu pockets in sesame oil, the mapo tofu, and the fried tofu with snowed garlic. They all smell really good, and are spicy ofc. If you don't like tofu because it's that mushy flavorless stuff, trust me you will like this tofu. The staff aren't super friendly but I wouldn't call them rude either. They only accept cash or venmo. read more

Amazing Szechuan style food at an affordable price. The eggplant and lamb were delicious. Would recommend. read more

Spices 3 - Szechuan Near Me - Oakland, California

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Yes, it's cash only, and yes, it's oily, but what did you expect from a Sichuan restaurant in Chinatown? Whatever seasoning they use on the "explosive" and "salt and pepper" dishes is pure magic and pairs excellently with rice. It's probably msg, but I've tried to replicate it at home with various msg-laden recipes and haven't been successful yet, so who knows? I've ordered basically every "explosive"/"salt and pepper" dish on the menu, and I'd recommend all of them except the chicken. I usually go for the tofu because it's good for veggie friends and let's me pretend I'm eating healthy, but I also quite like the pork chop. The other stuff is somewhat average for Sichuan food, but average Sichuan food is still pretty good, so it's always a good option. read more

No frills, cash only, solid Chinese food. I like the green beans, exploding fried fish, eggplant with garlic sauce, and the spicy cucumber salad. Would go back and would recommend. read more

I was hella craving some Chinese food and saw this restaurant was nearby. I ordered the sweet and sour crispy fish, eggplant with garlic sauce, and spicy combination chow mein to go. By the time I got home, the food was still hot and steamy. Out of the things I ordered, my favorite was the spicy chow mein. It wasn't whooping-my-ass spicy, but it had a nice kick to it that gradually felt hotter as I kept eating it. The eggplant was delicious as well; the sauce was super flavorful. The sweet and sour fish was pretty good, though I was expecting it to be crispier. I should've put it in the air fryer for a bit but at this point I was faded af and just wanted to eat my food. Overall, everything was really tasty, fresh, and good portions. I definitely want to come back and try other dishes as well, and maybe try in person dining instead. I had to wait a while after ordering my food since there were a shitload of Doordashers waiting around too, but it was very much worth it read more

CASH ONLY!! Pleasantly surprised. Good food and service. Large portions. Took me some years to get here, but I'm here. Would love to revisit. Plenty of seating, parking is difficult. read more

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Can't believe I've lived in the Bay Area for 10 years without trying this place! I think this was my first time having szechuan cuisine and it was deliciously packed with flavor. We ordered the Shanghai Fat Noodle, Salt and Pepper Tofu, and Spices Explosive Chicken Wings. All were 10/10 tasty, I especially loved the garlic crisps in the salt and pepper tofu, and I enjoyed the way the chicken wings were cut in halves. Service was quick and easy, we ate pretty much right away! Note that this place is CASH ONLY. Ambiance inside was fun and felt traditional (though I can't really speak on that as I am not from the region) but the artwork on the walls and the wooden furniture made it feel as such. Would love to go back again and try other dishes. read more

Spices 3 - Shanghai Fat Noodle, Salt Pepper Tofu, Spices Explosive Chicken Wings - Szechuan Near Me - Oakland, California

Hands down the best Szechuan food. The salt and pepper pork chop, eggplant in garlic, and fish with explosives are our go-to dishes and absolutely addictive. read more

I have been to this restaurant three or four times prior to you leaving this review. In fact, I do not live in Oakland, but if I'm in or near downtown and want great spicy Chinese food, I do not hesitate to come by. Obviously, I like it spicy but not everyone does and they are able to adjust their spice levels which is great. Honestly I've had many dishes and none have disappointed. I cannot say I have a favorite only because their menu is pretty expansive and I am slowly working my way through the menu to drive. Everything. Their stinky tofu dishes are delicious and I am not a tofu guy and the spicy. Fried rice is very good also. As far as ambience this place has none except for the classic: "Great Chinese food hole in the wall feel." Cash only. Sometimes parking can be tough. However, do not let any of those two things deter you- do yourself a f(l)avor and go. read more

I just received an order from Spices 3. The food was inedible. The delivery services refunded the charge.

Excellent food and service with very reasonable prices, ample portions and relaxed atmosphere. Great place to go with several friends and share. read more

I come here at least every month or couple months when I have the craving for the classic sichuan numbing spice taste. it is located in oakland chinatown, on a less busy street, so I usually don't have a problem finding parking. This place has been here for a very long time, the first time I came here was in the mid 2000s and a lot has changed, but overall the food is still good. I like the explosive chicken wings and hand torn cabbage dish the most. read more

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What am I missing? Just stopped by for dinner and had the most mid meal ever. The "super spicy" chow mein was literally spaghetti noodles with onions, and very dry and lacking flavor. The "kickin" orange chicken was also not even close to spicy and not appetizing at all. The frozen orange chicken from Trader Joe's is better. Didn't this place used to be good? Go to Shandong instead. read more

Food has a lot of flavor and spice, love the green beans and the spicy chicken pieces

I've been concerned about finding a Chinese restaurant staple in downtown Oakland since Bay Fung Tong closed during the pandemic. Spices 3 is on 12th Street, a lot further from the Paramount Theatre which is my usual destination, but it was a brilliant success. This is a tiny little restaurant, so inconspicuous it could easily be overlooked from the street, and not to be confused with Spices Noodle House directly across the street (another party of several people meeting by prearrangement got confused over that). Inside are large blocky wooden tables resembling picnic tables, and some stunningly good food. It's spicy, yes, but I didn't find the 2-chile dishes to overwhelm the flavor with heat at all. They were masterfully cooked. The lamb with cumin was not heavy on the cumin, so the taste of the juicy lamb came through well. Mixed in with, besides the chiles, jalapenos, onion slices, and lots of cilantro, it was in little pieces easily picked up even with those slippery plastic chopsticks. They do not automatically give Western customers a fork, and you'd miss the subtleties of the flavor shoveling in a bunch of ingredients at once with a fork, as well as having trouble stabbing the little pieces so easily pinched with chopsticks. An appetizer of salt and pepper chicken was similarly made. Not the wingettes with bones, this was little bits of very tender chicken, dark meat I think, lightly breaded and strongly seasoned, with pretty much the same other ingredients. They also don't serve water: unless you ask, perhaps, which I didn't; the tea that came automatically was sufficient. They did alert me that the restaurant takes CASH ONLY; main dishes are under $20, appetizers under $10. read more

Spices3 was a longtime fav, but we almost chose a new spot since the last couple orders the were very meh, not as flavorful and the Yelp rating is still under 4..0. Glad we decided to give it another try, the food was delicious as it used to be. This is one of the few restaurants that gets the heat level right, in terms of spice and temperature. The food was nice and hot, sesame chicken was sweet and tasty with the red sauce, chicken kung pao was good, although could have had a few more chilis, and we missed the bell peppers they used to have. The Schezuan pork with jalapenos was delicious!! read more

Amazing !! Food was great had the orange chicken and lamb. While they weren't spicy, the flavors were immaculate and portions were sized very well. For spice lovers I would say to get as spicy as possible read more

Some of my favorite dishes here are: -Chicken Wings w/ Explosive Chili Pepper -Smoked Bacon Stir Fried with Bean Curd -Napa cabbage w/ pork Sometimes it taste great but sometimes the quality here is inconsistent. At least twice, the Chicken wings w/ explosive tasted fishy, maybe because they use the same frying oil for the Fish Fillet w/ Explosive Chili Pepper version. Besides that, most of the chicken wings are usually still crispy when I get as take out. Sometimes the napa cabbage w/ pork is watery but sometimes the consistency is thicker. read more

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I ordered hot and sour soup. There was no "soup container" just spilled soup all over bag. Whoever packed this spilled the soup and then handed it over not giving a care about it at all. Very disappointed. Never ordering from here again. read more

Spices 3 - Szechuan Near Me - Oakland, California

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Ordered the spicy chicken wings and vegetable chow mein. I got the chicken wings because that's what everyone talks about getting! The spicy chicken wings are definitely overrated, they are a 2/5. The wings are super tiny and they are so salty and not spicy at all! I only ate about 3 wings because they became super overwhelming and I had to throw the rest of the wings away! Chow mein was okay. Don't know if I'll come back. read more

Spices 3 - Spicy Chicken Wings - Szechuan Near Me - Oakland, California

Spices x3? Is that why they call themselves the 3rd, because you really could take it to that level and enjoy some great Szechuan food here in Chinatown. This late night eatery has stood the test of time and it made for a fine meal for my small group of friends. We were looking for something opened past 8 in Chinatown and low and behold, Spices 3 turned up. I've always been a fan of Szechuan cuisine when it comes to that fiery stir-fry cooking technique in a lot of their dishes. To my surprise, they had a few dishes here that I don't find often in other Chinese restaurants including Stinky Tofu. Its always been one of my favorite dishes so I was ready to order that for our table. We went with their Mushroom and Bok Choy dish and Cold Sesame Noodles to share, and also got a Mongolian Beef for the meat eaters. As someone that's plant-based, I asked to make sure the first two dishes were free of animal products and they assured me they were. In hindsight, Im pretty sure the noodles were egg noodles - I admit to that mistake and the best thing you gotta do is move-on. The top dishes however were definitely the mushroom bok choy and the stinky tofu. I expected the tofu to come in larger pieces like in Taiwanese street markets but these were small, bite sized pieces - perfect if you end up not enjoying it as you won't have to consume much of the dish. The veggies were great and my friends agreed that they were fantastic. Shows that you don't necessarily need to have meat to also enjoy a good Szechuan meal if it's prepared with the right flavors. Oh... and it's CASH. ONLY. We found this part out the hard way, with our $25 in cash at the time to try and pay for a $50 meal. My friend and I ended up driving around the area at night looking for an ATM, and it was one of the sketchiest feeling adventures we've had in a while. Make sure you got enough so you can avoid needing to look for greenbacks like we did. Rookie mistake indeed. read more

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This place is so freaking yummy I have to get that out there. This is one of those places that's best to order a few dishes and share. There's a few tables so this place is ideal to go with a small group. My friend and I tried to pay with two cards but they didn't allow that so we just sent one payment through Venmo. The waiter checked on us often. I will say that the food is definitely pretty oily. I usually love oily foods but this was a bit too much for my taste. I would still come back though because it really was just that good! But if you're not into oil pools at the bottom of your dishes, maybe this isn't the place for you. read more

Spices 3 - Shanghai Fat Noodle - Szechuan Near Me - Oakland, California

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I loveeeeee their food. First time we went, the service was terrible; we constantly got ignored, couldn't order, etc. but the food was so good that we went back anyways But this time, there was a younger guy server who was super nice and attentive. It's not the fanciest place but if you want some spicy chinese food, this is the place to go NOTE: parking is pretty terrible in this neighborhood. Plan to park at a nearby garage. read more

Spices 3 - Szechuan Near Me - Oakland, California

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"$CASH ONLY$" they are serious about this. Probably why there were so many food delivery services there. This place isn't much to look at from the outside, in fact I would have walked right past it if I wasn't picking up food. It does take at least 30 minutes to get your food so order ahead of time. It also didn't look like they were doing indoor dining. The spicy chow mein has chicken and shrimp in it and is actually spicy. The Shanghai fat noodle had great flavor but the noodles weren't fat lol. Sesame chicken was different from other sesame chickens I have had but was really good. I would definitely go here again and I was really glad they were open until 10pm on Christmas Eve. A lot of places were closed or closed early. Don't forget to BRING CASH people. $41 for three dishes. read more

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Met some friends for lunch today. I used to frequent this restaurant a lot when I worked in the area. The food was good as it always has been. But the service was lousy. I had shrimp with garlic sauce. It was good. But I always remember the shrimp being large. Very small shrimp. Only one waitress who did not appear to be interested in serving us. We had to ask for several things twice. No service with a smile. The food was good but I would recommend take out. read more

Spicy Chicken wings so good ! The best spicy chicken wings I had so far. Can't use credit card when you walk in to order to go but we can order online & pay online by credit card. read more

NOTE: CASH ONLY! First time dining in the restaurant and was really craving authentic Szechuan food, and left feeling more than satisfied! Last time we came here, we ordered takeout, and the food was just as delicious. We came around 3 PM on a Saturday, and surprisingly, there was no one else dining in the restaurant. However, people slowly trickled in as we ordered and ate. We ordered the hot and sour potato strips, and the pork intestine plate. Both are reasonably priced, and the portions were pretty generous! I will say that ordering takeout has smaller portions, so definitely try to dine in if possible. The hot and sour potato strips came out relatively quickly, and these were amazing! On the menu, they're listed as spicy, but one thing that would've really elevated this dish would be if it was spicier. I couldn't really taste the spice; it would be amazing if peppers were added. The pork intestine plate came out shortly after, and it was steaming hot! We also ordered 2 side orders of white rice to accompany the pork intestine. I'm a huge fan of pork intestine, so this definitely more than satisfied my craving. Spices 3 gave a very generous helping of the intestines, all marinated in a savory and rich sauce that complemented the jalapeño peppers and green onions. It accompanied the steaming white rice very well! read more

Spices 3 - Szechuan Near Me - Oakland, California

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My all time favorite Szechuan food in Oakland! The restaurant is homey, cozy and the print/drawing on the wall adds a unique feel to the ambiance. Staff and servers are friendly, always helpful. 5/5 from me!! read more